


And They Were Soulmates

by heylittleangel



Series: Supernatural Bingos [16]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, But also, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Soulmates, Soulmates Castiel & Dean Winchester, kind of antisoulmate, they can hear each other's thoughts, they've been friends for a long time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22427734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heylittleangel/pseuds/heylittleangel
Summary: Hearing a voice inside his head was never something Dean thought it was going to happen and he had no idea why it did, but damn him if it wasn't the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Supernatural Bingos [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1459561
Comments: 18
Kudos: 234





	And They Were Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! I've been wanting to write a soulmates!AU for quite some time and I was lucky to get one of my squares for the @spngenrebingo to be it. _Huge_ shoutout to [ Serenity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxystiel/pseuds/galaxystiel) for betaing and helping me with this, because it wouldn't be half as good if it wasn't for her. It would also be a lot shorter haha. But, seriously, she's amazing and I couldn't have done it without her. So thank you! ❤
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

When it first happened, Dean was _very_ confused, to say the least; there was an unknown voice inside his head, talking about bees and telling him random facts about them. Dean almost cut a piece of his finger off as he chopped onions for his mom, startling so hard as he looked around him in the kitchen. No one was talking and Mary turned to him with a confused look. _Is everything okay, sweetheart?_ , she had asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Afraid of what she might say if he told her the truth, Dean lied and said it was; he had never heard about anyone that had a voice inside their hand and he wasn’t sure how normal that would look. The last thing he wanted was to be considered as crazy at such a young age. 

So he kept that voice as a secret. He discovered more things about the person behind it as the time passed; he found out that, whoever’s voice was it, they could hear him too; he found out about the person behind the voice—Castiel—and what they liked: bees, angels, math, biology. Dean, in return, told Castiel about himself and the things he liked: cars, history, cooking, driving. As teenagers, they would complain about school and the other teens together, help each other study for their exams—Castiel was the best teacher Dean had ever had—, and their conversations would be the highest point of Dean’s day; he would catch himself smiling as he thought about a joke for Cas, his smile widening whenever Cas laughed.

His mom was 100% sure that Dean had a girlfriend that he didn’t want to tell them and that lead to them having “the talk”. It was horrible and embarrassing and Cas laughing inside his mind did nothing to help. But, when it was Cas’s time to have the talk with his own parents, Dean did not make it easier either; he would tell indecent jokes to him, coming up with snarky comebacks to whatever Cas’s parents said, and he could almost feel Cas’s efforts to keep himself from laughing.

But they weren’t there just for the happy moments; whenever something bad happened, they would also do their best to help the other: when Dean’s dad had a heart attack, Cas spent the whole time Dean was in the memorial trying to make Dean smile or just talking about random facts of bees or about what happened during his day; it made Dean feel a lot better and he doubted he could’ve gotten through it if it wasn’t Cas. When Cas’s parents had gotten a divorce, Dean told him about the road trips he used to do with his Dad and Sam—his brother—, the food his mom had taught him how to cook in that week, or just talking about anything to take Cas’s mind from it. Dean was sure that the gratefulness he had for Cas was reciprocated.

They got through their applications to college together, from starting them, writing their essays, taking their SATs—Cas said it was cheating to have each other’s help but he still did it—, and reassured each other until their answers got back. Cas had actually gotten his letter a few days earlier than Dean, but he waited until Dean got his so they could open it together. And when they did, they celebrated as they read their acceptance letter, and had already started to make plans for it and tell each other what they expected from college and living away from home for the first time.

Dean was the first one to move out of the house; he narrated all of it to Cas, from the moment he started packing to when he got to the campus. He even told Cas about the drive, talking about all the different things he saw on the road; he could speak freely in the empty Impala and he would laugh loudly when Cas told him something funny. The drive passed even faster as he talked to Cas and it was great to have someone to talk about his first impressions of the campus and the city.

When it was Cas’s time to move out of the house, Dean listened to him; how Cas was afraid to be on his own for the first, of being so far away from his family, and the unknown possibilities of college. Dean did his best to reassure him, tell how they could get through it together, that college wasn’t so scary, and that being away could be a good thing. They spent most of the night after Cas got to his dorm talking about random stuff, telling each other about their roommates—Dean had ended up with a guy named Benny, whom he was learning to like, and Cas had a guy named Gabriel as his roommate, who could be too much but Cas seemed to like him.

Cas was the first one to know about Dean being bisexual and his first time with a man—not _that_ detailed but with enough details for Cas to say _ew_. Dean was the first person Cas told he was gay to, and they shared their struggles with it, reassured the other about nothing being different and that they would always be there for the other, even if no one else was.

Even though they had chosen different degrees, they still helped each other study; Cas had chosen something in the biology side while Dean chose something philosophical. It was actually nice to learn Cas’s side and he managed to get Dean interested in them; Dean had chosen one biology class while Cas chose a philosophy one in exchange. They talked about their new found friends, their favourite professors—Dean had an amazing professor for his course about philosophy of love/mind and another that taught Darwin, Nietzsche and Freud, and Cas had his neurobiology and evolution professors as his favourites—, and what they thought of doing once they were finished with college.

Things only changed for Dean almost eight months after they got into college; he was in one of his Philosophy of the Mind classes and his professor started to talk about soulmates. Dean didn’t know what one thing had to do with another but he paid attention anyway. The professor talked about the origins of the myth about soulmates and how that affected the society; he then talked about one of the most significant myths: that, when two people were soulmates; they would be able to hear each other’s thoughts. For years, that’s how people had made sure that the person they intended to marry were their soulmates, and they firmly believed in it. 

That shocked Dean in a way he never felt before; his professor said it was just a myth and there was no proof of it, but that the students could try to find their soulmates like that. Most of them laughed it off as the professor went back to the main theme of the class, but Dean couldn’t pay attention anymore, not when there was suck possibility to his and Cas’s relationship; true or not; all myths started from somewhere, right? What if the people back then were right? Did that make Cas and Dean… soulmates?

He barely paid any attention to his classes for the rest of day, trying to keep that thought out of Cas’s reach; Dean had to think about that before he could even phantom the idea of telling Cas about it. Of course it could mean nothing; it was just a myth and his and Cas’s ability to read each other’s mind didn’t actually mean they were soulmates.

Dean sighed as he walked back to his dorm, checking his readings for the day; if he wanted to read all of it that night, he would have to stay awake for most of it. _Yay, let’s drink coffee enough to OD._ He almost jumped out of his skin when Cas’s voice ringed inside his mind, _Why are you going to OD with coffee, Dean?_

Dean couldn’t help himself; he chuckled lowly. _I have a bunch of things to read and it’s gonna keep me up most of the night. So lots of coffee for me._

_Oh, me too. I have that exam tomorrow and I really need to study._

Dean rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door. _Dude, stop worrying about it. I’ve learned more just from you studying than I did the whole semester. You’re gonna be fine._ Dean nodded at Benny as he talked on the phone with someone—probably Andrea judging from his heart eyes—and placed his bag by the foot of his bed. _Seriously, Cas, you’re prepared for it and you’re gonna ace that exam._

If Dean didn’t know Cas any better, he would say Cas was embarrassed. _Thank you, Dean, but I still think I should study some more. I can keep you company as you read your papers._

_That would be great. Give me time to take a shower and eat, and then I’ll settle to read those._

Dean then did best to lock his thoughts away from Cas—he certainly didn’t need him hearing the thoughts about soulmates. Though he was quite certain it wouldn’t take long for Cas to find out: he seemed to have a sense for when Dean was nervous and Dean’s professor had assigned them an essay about the myth of the soulmates. Dean wouldn’t be able to escape the conversation for long but he could live in denial for just half an hour longer. 

After taking his shower and grabbing something to eat, Dean settled in his desk with his papers scattered around. Benny whistled as he read them from behind Dean’s shoulders.

“Guess you have a lot to do, huh, chief?”

Dean groaned, letting his head fall on top of the desk. “Don’t even get me started.”

“Well, I would offer ya help but I’m actually gonna study with Andrea.”

Dean snorted, raising his head and staring at Benny with a smirk. “Study, yeah, right. Is that what the kids call it today? You two gonna study each other’s anatomy?”

Benny slapped Dean’s shoulder playfully, hiding his smile. “You’re just jealous. I’ll see ya tomorrow, chief.”

“See ya, Benny.”

Benny walked out of the room and Dean waited until he heard the door being locked. “Hey, Cas, you got your ears on?”

_I’m not actually listening to you through my ears, Dean._

“Yeah, I know, just a figure of speech. Anyways, ready to start or have you given up?”

_I’m just waiting for Gabriel to leave for his party before I can really settle him, but you can walk me through your papers if you want._

“Alright.”

Dean then proceeded to read his paper to Cas, explaining some of the parts also as a way to remind himself about them. It was easier to study while having someone by your side—or close to it—and time passed by quicker. Dean managed to read three out of seven before Cas said he had to study too. Dean offered to help him but Cas said Dean should focus on his own; he also said he wasn’t going to give Dean a reason to procrastinate, which was all kinds of unfair and yet true. 

They then studied their own stuff, their thoughts sometimes mixing and confusing both of them for a second. But, being as used as they were to it, they only laughed it off and went back to their own. Dean read his other three papers almost easily but he hesitated before taking the last one—the one about soulmates. He stared at it for a while, not actually reading it, but thinking about it.

 _Dean?_ Cas’s voice in his head startled him and Dean blinked out of his stupor.

“Yeah?”

_Are you okay?_

Dean sighed, placing the paper back on the table and burying his face in his hands. “Cas, do you believe in soulmates?” 

Cas hesitated for a few seconds. _I… never actually thought about it. But I would say that, yes, I do._

“Really?”

_Yes. I don’t believe we’re actually destined to someone but I think we could have a soulmate. It could take years for that bond to form but I think it’s possible. Why do you ask?_

“One of my professors, he, uh, he told us about a myth that involves soulmates. He said…” _C’mon, Dean, you can do this,_ “He said that it was believed soulmates could hear each other’s thoughts.”

Cas stayed silent for a long time and Dean started to panic; he shouldn’t have said anything. Why the hell did he think opening his mouth was a good idea? Cas was gonna think he was insane now and he would lose his friendship. He was going to lose his best friend, quite possibly his soulmate, the one person Dean couldn’t live without. And it was all his fault.

 _Dean, don’t beat yourself up over it._ Dean frowned, lowering his hands. _I_ do _hear your thoughts, you know? And you weren’t actually hiding those._ Cas grew silent again but Dean waited; if Cas hadn’t shut him off, it was a good sign. _I don’t know_ why _we can hear each other’s thoughts, Dean, but I… I can’t say it is because we’re soulmates. Your professor said it’s a myth and I’m sure there are other myths that try to explain this. We don’t need to actually believe the first one we hear about it if we don’t want to._

“So… does that mean we’re good?”

_Of course, Dean. It’s not our fault that this happens but I would say it’s a blessing. You are my best friend, Dean, and I wouldn’t want to lose you over a myth._

Dean sighed in relief. “Thank God. I was afraid to tell you about this and I know I wouldn’t be able to hide it.”

_Like I said, not our fault. And if it ends up being true, we’ll make it up as we go._

***

Dean tossed and turned in his bed, not quite awake but not completely asleep either. The thoughts inside his mind were too loud and they pulled him out of his dream; a really good dream, by the way: there were dozens of pies around him and he could all of them without judgement or without feeling stuffed. It was _The_ dream. But frogs started to appear inside his pies, jumping around and webbing, some dressed in a white suit and helmet. It unnerved Dean and he couldn’t eat any of his pies anymore.

When he finally opened his eyes, he discovered why the frogs appeared in his dream: Cas was thinking about them. And not just any frogs; frogs in space suits. Dean groaned and turned to look at his watch: 4:29 am. _Dude, why are you thinking about frogs in space suits at 4-freaking-am? I’m trying to sleep because I have an exam tomorrow and now I’m thinking about frogs in space suits too._

_My apologies, Dean. I couldn’t sleep and I guess my brain went too far._

Dean chuckled, rubbing at his eyes. _I noticed._ He looked at Benny’s bed, seeing him deep asleep, mouth open as he snored softly. Dean pushed the blankets away and stretched. _Any reason for you not to be able to sleep?_

_Just worried, I guess. I have an important appointment tomorrow and I can’t stop thinking about it._

_Oh right. You told me about that. Wanna talk? I’m up already so I may as well be useful._

_I didn’t mean to wake you up, Dean._

Dean stood up and grabbed clothes before heading to the bathroom. _It’s fine. Besides, gives me time to study before the exam. It’s my last one and I wanna go well in it._

_I can help if you want. You can teach me and then you’ll see you know everything._

Dean smiled softly as he started to undress. _Yeah, that would be good. Just let me get dressed and get my stuff, and then we’ll talk._

He got dressed as quickly and silently as possible before leaving the bathroom. He took his stuff, scribbled down a quick note to Benny, and then headed out. The hallways were dark and quiet, not a single soul in sight. Dean was sure there were going to be drunken students stumbling to their rooms in no time but, for now, he was alone. It gave him freedom and he could choose any spot near the cafeteria to settle his things down.

Choosing the closest table to it, Dean placed his papers and sat with his back to the cafeteria; that way, he would be able to see all the students passing by and know when the clerk of the cafeteria walked by to open it. _Alright, Cas. Ready to hear about ethics?_

Cas chuckled inside his mind. _I always am._

Dean smiled and then went on, rambling about ethics, where it could be applied and how, why was it important and where could it help them. Cas listened to it, asking just the right questions and nudging Dean when he knew he was forgetting something. Dean watched the drunken students stumble through the hallways a little after six am and he judged them along with Cas; not their proudest moment but certainly fun. 

He moved to the cafeteria when it was open and he had breakfast as he reviewed his notes for the nth time. Cas kept reassuring him, telling Dean he was going to do great. Dean appreciated the sentiment but he was still anxious. His professor had been scary when he talked about the exam and Dean did _not_ want to get a low grade; it would mean less time home and more time here.

Cas said he had to go at the same time Dean got up to go to his class. They said their goodbyes and Dean walked towards the classroom, going over his notes in his head and trying to remember all of the names he knew he had to know. He got some mixed with their definitions and he wanted to pull his hair away in annoyance; so many things for him to remember and he had to mix the freaking definitions too?

When he finally got to the classroom, his professor was already there, along with half of the class. Dean looked at his watch, alarmed, but sighed in relief when he saw he was ten minutes early yet. He sat by Charlie’s side and they talked as the classroom filled up, all of the chairs being occupied. Dean’s hands started to sweat as the professor handed them their exams. Everyone seemed the same and he wished Charlie good luck before focusing on his.

It wasn’t half as hard as he thought it would be; all of the answers were on the tip of his tongue and he answered the questions with ease. He even smiled at the professor as he handed it back, earning himself a _good holiday_ from her. He walked back to his dorm happily, the weight lifted from his shoulders, and he only had one thought: he would be home soon for a well-deserved rest.

“Dean?”

He almost didn’t stop, so used to the voice inside his head, until he realized it wasn’t there he heard it. It was actually, for the first time, that he was hearing it from the person’s mouth. He turned to face Cas, all six feet of him. And, also for the first time in his life but not the last, he actually saw Cas: dark, messy hair, untamed in the wind, piercing blue eyes as he stared at Dean, tanned, smooth skin wherever Dean looked, and a big, goofy smile that grew as Cas walked closer.

“Cas?” Dean choked out. He let his notebooks and books fall to the floor as he met Cas halfway, taking him in a tight hug as he laughed wetly. Cas smelled like honey and peppermint and he felt warm under Dean’s hands; real.

Cas pulled away, hands cradling Dean’s face with tenderness. Dean placed his hands on top of Cas’s, not actually believing his eyes. “You’re actually here? How the hell did you find me?”

Cas shrugged. “You told me where you studied so I drove. I asked some people around where I could find the freshmen philosophy final and they pointed me here. Then I just had to wait for someone that walked out of the classroom to ask if they knew where you were. After what you told me about that soulmates theory, I _had_ to come.”

Dean almost choked on emotions. “I can’t believe you came all this way just for me.”

Cas smiled as he inched forward. “I told you, Dean: we’re making it up as we go.” 

And Dean couldn’t believe it; Cas was actually there to see him, driving the whole night, probably, just because of that theory. Dean could not be more grateful that he took the chance and told Cas about it. 

***

Dean had shown Cas the campus during the day since he didn’t have much to do anymore. He introduced him to some of his friends—and it was hard to come up with how they met but they managed with some half-truths. The conversation flowed with them, just as it did when it was just reading each other’s thoughts, and could hardly believe it; how the hell did they have so much to talk about when they already knew everything about the other? But he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Cas didn’t bring up the soulmates subject and Dean didn’t either. It also didn’t hang in the air around them or brought the mood down, but Dean couldn’t help but wonder: did Cas come all this way because he believed in it, or because he wanted to prove to himself and to Dean that it _wasn’t_ true? He also didn’t know what he wanted it to be; if he wanted to be Cas’s soulmate or not. Dean was never one to believe in greater forces and he also didn’t want to have someone chosen for him. Cas had said he believed in it but not that it was destiny that chose who your soulmate was, that it could be built over time.

As Dean looked at Cas, watching him smile as he told Dean about bees, Dean thought that maybe Cas was right; they could never know why they could read each other’s mind and why that didn’t happen to anyone else, but it could be to help them build that bond. Because, if it wasn’t for that, they would’ve never met. But everything they’ve been through, everything they’ve built, it wasn’t just because of that; they _chose_ to actually form it, to get to know each other instead of shutting the other down. It was their own choice, by their own free will, and Dean would be damned if he was going to let a myth put all of that at risk.

“Cas?”

Cas stopped talking, turning his head to stare at Dean with a raised brow. “Yes, Dean?”

“Do you wanna go on a date? With me?”

For a few seconds, Cas was frozen in the spot. Dean stopped himself from reading his thoughts and waited anxiously until Cas’s lips opened in a smile. “I thought you were never going to ask.”

Dean smiled back and he stood up before offering his hand to Cas. “Great. I have the most amazing place to show. Greatest burgers in the whole state.”

They walked towards Dean’s room, Cas’s hand slipping to hold Dean’s, and Dean’s mood could not be better at the moment. Nothing seemed to have changed but Dean felt different; he felt hope in a long term relationship for the first time and he couldn’t be happier that it was with Cas.

After Dean left his books and notes in his room, he pulled them to the Roadhouse, showing Cas the different places he went, telling the same, different stories Cas had already heard through Dean’s mind but that it pulled chuckles out of him anyway. Cas told him about the newest crazy things Gabriel had done, how he had woken up to see Gabriel in nothing but lingerie, covered in glitter and what smelled like tequila.

Dean laughed loudly as Cas recreated Gabe’s expressions when Cas woke him up and how Cas still found glitter all around the room—he was not proud of some of the places. By then, they were already at the Roadhouse and Dean waved at Ellen before pulling Cas to his favourite table. He introduced Cas to Ellen—chuckling lowly as Ellen acted like a mother hen—and then they were left to choose their food. Dean didn’t even need to open the menu or tell Ellen what he wanted, but he waited for Cas to choose his. He enjoyed the quiet moment to study Cas’s expressions; Dean might have known a lot about Cas but he didn’t know much about his tells.

It was nice to see how Cas furrowed his eyebrows as he read, lips moving quietly along, or how he bit his lower lip as if he was about to make one of the most important decisions in his life. Dean also paid attention to how Cas’s hair fell at his forehead, the soft strands almost covering his eyes from Dean—the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen in his whole life, that seemed to pierce through him until Cas could see Dean’s soul.

Cas pulled him away from his thoughts with a smile and his hand on top of Dean’s. Dean smiled back, squeezing Cas’s hand before speaking, “So, what do you wanna talk about? This would be the point where we would get to know each other.”

“And we already do,” Cas added with a chuckle. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m… I’m not used to dating, Dean.”

Dean smiled softly. “Yeah, I know. Uh,” He thought a little. “Have you ever thought of telling someone about my voice in your head?”

“Not really. People already thought I was weird, I didn’t need to give them another reason.” Dean chuckled. “What about you”

“Nope. I’ve never met anyone who had this and no one seemed open to it. I’ve asked some friends, drunk, obviously, what they thought about it and none of them actually believed in it.”

Cas nodded understandingly. “I also liked having it as a secret.” Dean frowned at him and Cas shrugged. “I don’t know, it was nice to have someone who didn’t judge me for anything and I always thought it was nice to have you while none of my friends knew, because they didn’t know what they were missing.”

Dean smiled, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “Yeah, me too.”

They stared at each other, their hands still joined on top of the table, and they startled when someone cleared their throat at their side. Dean turned to see Ellen with a knowing smile as she placed their burgers on the table. “Enjoy, kiddos.”

Cas’s neck and cheeks were red as he stared down at his burger and Dean couldn’t think of anything else that was as cute as Cas was. The conversation flowed after that, Cas telling Dean that the burger was, indeed, the best he had ever had. They talked about their interests; Cas’s obsession with bees that lead him to choose a degree that involved them; Dean’s love for cars and how much he enjoyed taking care of Baby and taking her for drives. 

They split a slice of pie after that—and two more but Dean wasn’t counting—and then they went to walk around the city, the sun starting to settle down on the horizon, painting the sky in oranges, purples, and pinks. Cas’s hand was a comfortable weight in Dean’s and it warmed him up just like a cup of hot chocolate would. He enjoyed Cas’s gravelly voice as they talked, smiling whenever Cas would see some kind of plant or insect he wanted to examine closer, dragging Dean up and down to take pictures of them. 

Dean was more than happy to comply and he would listen to Cas ramble about them, telling the differences between one and another without actually paying attention to it; he was more focused on Cas’s happy expression. 

When they got to one of the bridges and rested their arms on the railing to watch the lake, Dean studied Cas’s features in the moonlight instead. Everything was nice and calm, other couples walking around them, groups of friends joking around, but Dean had eyes only for Cas. After a few minutes, Cas turned to him with a soft smile, giving a step closer to Dean so their sides would touch.

Dean didn’t know who inched closer first but Cas was the one to finally close the distance and press their lips together. Butterflies flew in Dean’s stomach and he turned into putty in Cas’s hands. He put his arms around Cas’s waist and pressed them closer together, Cas burying his hands in Dean’s hair. They breathed the same air as they rested their foreheads together and Dean stared into Cas’s eyes with a small smile. 

“Y’know, Cas, I think you’re right.” 

“About what?”

“We’re not destined to be with someone but we can choose to have a soulmate. And I choose you.”

Cas smiled, kissing Dean’s lips as he whispered, “I choose you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, did you enjoy it? You have Serenity to thank for for the kiss because I wouldn't have written it if she hadn't pestered me for it :D 
> 
> Leave a comment and a kudo and make this writer very happy! As always, you can find me on [ tumblr](https://gii-heylittleangel.tumblr.com/)


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